Game apparatus.



H. JOHNSTON.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.28, 1916.

1,221,803. Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

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H. JOHNSTON.

GAME APPARATUS.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917'.

2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

HUGH JOHNSTON, 0F TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

GAME APPARATUS.

Application filed August 28, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGH JoriNs'roN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of 55 Radford avenue, in the city of Toronto, county of York, Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, have invented,

certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following 1s a specification.

The invention relates to improvements 1n game apparatus as described in the present specification and shown in the accompanying drawings that form part of the same.

The invention consists essentially of the novel construction and arrangement of parts whereby a ball'or other projectlle rolled along the base of a bowling alley 1s deflected upwardly and is adapted to enter one or other of a series of goals and 1n passing through said goals operates mechanism for registering the value of said goal.

The objects of the invention are to provide a variation of the game of bowllng, to provide a scientific and healthful form of amusement for young and old alike and generally to provide a game apparatus which will be inexpensive to manufacture, durable and entertaining.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device complete.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View through one end of the device illustrated in Fig. 1 and showing the goals and the means for registering the values of the shots.

Fig. 3 is a perspective detail of a portlon of the outer end of the alley with the top side broken away to show the means for counting and releasing the balls.

Fig. 4 is a perspective detail of one of the devices employed for forming the electrical contact for registering the value of the shots.

Fig. 5 is a perspective detail of one form of register.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a bowling alley comprising a flat ball track 2 having an obstruction 3 thereon adapted to deflect upwardly the balls rolled along said track 2 and an inclined inner end wall 4 adapted to support a plurality of receptacles or goals 5 at which said balls are trajected. The end wall 4 is preferably formed of a spring sub stantially similar in design to a bed spring and is covered by canvas or like material thus affording sufficient resiliency to pre- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

Serial No. 117,376.

vent the balls from rebounding out of the goals 5 after falling therein, said goals being situated one within another and being of various sizes, the smaller ones preferably having the greatest value in scoring.

Each of the goals 5 is provided with an opening 6 through the bottom thereof into which is inserted a tube 7 for delivering the balls to the floor 8 of the alley for subsequent return to the front end of the alley. The floor 8 is preferably inclined slightly toward the front end and is provided with a guide strip 9 adapted to guide the balls to the inclosed passage 10 where they are prepared for delivery to the player.

To insure eachplayer receiving an equal number of shots at the goals 5 a counting element is provided adjacent to the outer end of the passage 10 consisting of a lever 11 journaled horizontally midway of its length on a vertical bearing 12 extending through 1 the casing 13 and having metal disks 14 and 15 secured to its ends and adapted to be projected alternately through the outer wall of the passage 10, said disks being spaced from each other a distance corresponding to the space required by the number of balls al lotted to each player so that when the disk 15 is forced inwardly into the passage 10 the disk 14 is withdrawn and the balls allotted to the player roll outwardly into the open portion 16 of said passage while the remaining balls are held in the closed portion of the passage by the said disk 15 until the lever 11 is operated in the opposite direction.

17 is a handle having the arms 18 secured to the lever 11 one on each side of the bearing 12, said handle extending outwardly through the slot 19 in the casing 13 and being for the purpose of operating the lever 11.

20 is an inclined wall secured to the end of the device and extending parallel to the end wall 4 a short distance therebelow and having openings therethrough through which the lower ends of the tubes 7 extend.

21 are base plates secured to the wall 20 immediately to the rear of each of the tubes 7 and constituting supportsfor the means used to complete the electrical circuit between the goal through which the ball has passed and the registering device to record the value of the shot.

Each of the base plates 21 is provided with a plurality of metal conductors 22 which are connected by wires 23 to the batteries 24, said batteries in turn being conbackplates 21 thus forming a means, when thecontact is completed between the wires 27 and the conductors 22, for releasing the number plates 28 and causing them to drop to a horizontal position before the openings 29 in the casing 30.

31 are rods rotatably mounted in brackets 32 on the plates 21, and having pins 33 extending therefrom adapted to engage the conductors 22 when said rods are rotated to complete the electrical circuit between the wires 23 and 27, said pins 33 being connected to one another by a wire 33 to form an electrical connection.

34 are levers pivotally secured in brackets 35 on the plates 21 and projecting a short distance into the tubes 7 and adapted to be operated in slots in said tubes by the action of the ball passing therethrough, each of said levers having a spring-held pawl 36 thereon adapted to engage a ratchet 37 on one of the ends of said rods 31 to rotate said rods.

38 are springs adapted to hold the levers 34. normally to their uppermost positions.

In the operation of this invention the handle 17 is pushed backwardly by the player thus releasing the balls between the disks 14: and 15 and allowing them to roll into the open portion 16.

The player then rolls each of the balls along the base 2 from where they are deflected upwardly by the obstruction 3 and lodge in one or other of the goals 5 and as the ball passes through said goal it forces downwardly the lever 34 which rotates the rod 31 and completes the electrical circuit between the wires 23 and 27 and causes one of the number plates 28 to drop before the opening 29 in the casing 30.

As the balls pass through the tubes 7 they drop onto the floor of the device and roll outwardly into the passage 10 where they are held until released by the operation of the handle 17 As the balls allotted are thrown by the player the score is automatically recorded in the casing 30 and after all the balls have been thrown the score may be added up and the plates 28 again raised to their suspended positions ready for the next player.

What I claim is:

1. A game apparatus comprising a ball track inclined upwardly and formed intermediate of its length to traject a ball at an object, a target formed of an upwardly sloping wall at the end of said inclined track, said. wall being a spring cushion and having holes set apart and inclosed by circular walls of different diameters, an inner inclined wall having corresponding holes, slotted tubes joining said inner and outer sloping walls, electrical switch mechanisms, mounted on said inner wall, each having a pivoted arm projecting into said tubes, a scoring mechanism electrically connected to said switch mechanisms, and a ball adapted to operate said scoring mechanism on passing through any one of said holes.

2. A game apparatus comprising a ball track inclined upwardly from the delivery end and having a sharp rise intermediate of its length forming a trajectory bump and an oblique ball guide on the upper reach adjacent to said bump and leading to a ball race on one side of the lower reach, a casing secured to the outer wall of said ball race and communicating therewith, a rocker arm pivoted within said casing and having an operating handle rigidly secured thereto and projecting through a slot in said casing, a ball stop secured to one end of said rocker arm a dividing finger secured to the upper end of said rocker arm, and a target mount-- ed on a wall at the upper end of said upper reach and having holes for the passage of the ball, said wall terminating above said upper reach to permit the return of the balls to said ball race.

3. A game apparatus comprising a ball race, a raised target having holes therethrough, an inner wall under said target having corresponding holes, electrical switch apparatus mounted on said inner wall adj acent to said holes and each formed of a cylindrical member in sections and contacts electrically connected and secured to said sections respectively in spiral arrangement and coacting with a corresponding number of fixed spring contacts, each of said cylindrical members being operated by a pawl and ratchet mechanism actuated by a lever arm pivotally secured and extending into a ball path and a scoring mechanism contained in a case having front apertures and formed of electro-magnets suitably energized and electrically connected to said switch apparatus and number plates pivotally secured and supported and released by said electro-magnets.

Signed at the city of Toronto, Province of Ontario, this 3rd day of August, 1916.

HUGH. JOHNSTON.

Witnesses M. BLAoKwnLL, W. G. HAMMOND. 

